USB 3.0 Hard drive enclosure stalling at random moments.

hbenthow

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I bought an Inateck USB 3.0 hard drive enclosure to use with a SATA hard drive as a backup. I used it to put system image backups of my main C drive on (using Windows Backup and Restore, as well as Macrium Reflect). During one backup session with Windows Backup and Restore, the drive stalled at a random moment, making the backup process fail (and my computer freeze up). Later, during a restore session using a Macrium backup stored on the drive, the drive again stalled at a random time, which nearly resulted in disaster.

Thinking that the hard drive itself was the problem, I took it out of the enclosure and replaced it with a newer one. However, during a backup session, the stalling problem hit again, proving definitively that it is the enclosure, rather than the drive within it, that is causing the stalling problem. Whenever the stalling problem hits, the only way to fix it is to switch off the enclosure and turn it back on. But that's just a temporary fix, and the problem inevitably hits again.

Does anyone know what could be causing this problem? Could it be a defect with the enclosure, a driver problem ,or something else? Has anyone else experienced a similar problem?
 
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hbenthow

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Since I just bought the enclosure less than two weeks ago, do you think this means that it would be wise to stay way from Inateck products in the future?



For my current purposes, I prefer using a true enclosure, rather than a docking station.

EDIT: Could it be possible that the drive policy having been set to "Quick remove" (rather than "Enable write caching on this device") may be the cause of the stalling?"
 


Quick Remove shouldn't do anything. I use a lot of Inland branded stuff. I never have any issue with them as far as enclosures go. I have 3.5, 2.5, M.2 SATA, and mSATA and no issues.
 
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hbenthow

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You don't think it could cause connectivity issues?



But the one I have is Inateck, not Inland. (Unless I am missing something and they are the same company or something.)

What do you think the most likely cause of the problem is?
 
I mean inland as if you were to get another one I would suggest that brand. Cheap and it works.

Again unless you are able to connect a hard drive internally, and run the same test, to make sure it is the enclosure.

only other thing i would do if that isn't an option is go to a local store that has them, test it, and if you have issues you can just return it. if it continue to have issues even with another one it could be your USB controller as well.

have you tried your existing enclosure on another PC?
 

hbenthow

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Ah, I see. Thank you for the advice.



I'm certain at this point that it's not the drive itself. It may be the enclosure, or something regarding how my computer communicated with it. Whatever it is, two different hard drives (one of which I trust) both exhibit the same problem within the enclosure, so I believe I've ruled out problems with the drives themselves.



How would I find out if it's my USB controller?



My only other computer only has USB 2.0 ports, and its main C drive locks up at random intervals. It's practically unusable at this point. That's why I bought my new computer, and also why I'm intent on making regular backups of it.
 

hbenthow

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I just thought of something: could an incorrectly connected USB cable cause a problem such as mine? That is to say, if the end of the plug that fits into the computer's USB port had been slightly tilted to the right or left, could that have caused a connection problem that would create a problem such as mine?

I ask because I looked where the USB cable was plugged in, and it look ever-so-slightly tilted to me.
 
Eh maybe but not usually. If it was in a spot where it may be getting bumped so that it may lose connections real quick but then windows would detect it, even if for a second, and you would heard the disconnect sound and reconnect sound for USB.
 

hbenthow

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I now suspect that the problem was likely either a loose USB connection (I have disconnected and reconnected the USB cable to my computer, and made sure it is securely plugged in) or the USB selective suspend setting in Windows (which I have now turned off). After I did those things, I created a new backup image on the drive, verified it, then subjected it to over an hour of copying to other drives and another two image verifications. It didn't stop working correctly at any point.

I could be wrong, and the problem could still exist, but I see no evidence of that at this point. If the problem returns, I might return here if I believe this forum can be of further help.

Thank you for your help.